WCQ | Window 1 | Match Day 3: Canada vs El Salvador- Wednesday, Sept 8th, 7:30pm Eastern / 4:30pm Pacific - Toronto, BMO Field

[Shway]

Canada vs El Salvador
Wednesday, September 8th
7:30pm Eastern / 4:30pm Pacific
Broadcast on ONESoccer

Canadian players that didn't get any minutes in the previous 2 matches:

Crépeau (GK)
Pantemis (GK)
Fraser
Wotherspoon
Piette
Cavallini

Canadian players that have played ALL possible minutes in the previous 2 matches:
Borjan (GK)
Johnston
Eustáquio
Laryea

Canadian players that have played over 150 minutes in the previous 2 matches:
Davies
Larin

(I assume every player except those 6 should be fit to play a full match against El Salvador if needed)

Canadian players that are on a yellow card:
Vitória
Laryea
Kaye

---

The El Salvador squad:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador_national_football_team

El Salvador players that are on a yellow card:
Marvin Monterroza
Eriq Zavaleta
Enrico Hernández
Roberto Domínguez

———

Shoutout @Olympique_de_Marseillefor the need to know information above.

Last game of the window, and now the biggest game of the window.

Big chance for us to start of with 5pts.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Shway

[king1010]

Huge game. We need the 3 pts. 

[Floortom]

Absolute must win - i think we need to rest a few guys like Davies, Eustaqiuo, and Larin and have them available as subs. We still have more than enough to beat these guys at home

[Shway]

3 minutes ago, Floortom said:

Absolute must win - i think we need to rest a few guys like Davies, Eustaqiuo, and Larin and have them available as subs. We still have more than enough to beat these guys at home

Thought this about Honduras…but so it goes.

I honestly hope we play our best available, get the win. And theeennnn start player managing on the front foot. 

By the looks of it, it’s possible we can move to second place with a result on Wednesday.

[Olympique_de_Marseille]

EDIT: Thanks for starting the thread @Shway !

Edited September 6, 2021 by Olympique_de_Marseille

[EJsens1]

I think El Salvador is a lot better than most will give them credit for coming in.  Not taking this one for granted.  Need to play with a lead 

[nolbertos]

Esit. Wrong thread.  It’ll be tough vs El Slavador.  They always seems to rise to the occasion against Canada

Edited September 6, 2021 by nolbertos

[BearcatSA]

4 minutes ago, EJsens1 said:

I think El Salvador is a lot better than most will give them credit for coming in.  Not taking this one for granted.  Need to play with a lead 

Play smart but play with tempo.  The chances will come.

[Cheeta]

4 minutes ago, EJsens1 said:

I think El Salvador is a lot better than most will give them credit for coming in.  Not taking this one for granted.  Need to play with a lead 

I'll be surprised if we don't coast to 3 points Wednesday.

Coast.  

They're going to be on 2 points in the 1st window and maybe not out, but outside struggling to get in.

Or we'll get CONCACRAPed.  Whichever.

[trc2014]

Any update on Kennedy’s status?  Came off injured

[Christian B.]

Because Salvador weren't able to score a single goal in 180 minutes at home, I would go for the jugular from the beginning of the game. We should be able to score multiple goals. Having said that, it doesn't mean that we need to be careless with our defense.

[A_Gagne]

I think of the guys who haven't played yet only Piette has a realistic chance of starting. Cavallini could come on if we need a goal or to harass late in a game, and Fraser will only see the pitch if it's to defend a lead.

Especially if Kennedy is carrying a knock, we'll see Miller start.

I think Phonzie's "injury" is probably some Herdman 3D-chess and I'd expect him to start, but probably not go more than 70 min.

I think it could be possible to see Davies and Buchanan both line up on the left side looking to overlap and cut back to players like David, Larin, Laryea and possibly Atiba cutting back from the right.

 

------------------Borjan--------------

------Johnston---Vitoria---Miller-----

--Kaye/Laryea---Eustaquio---Davies--

----------------Hutch-----------------

---Larin------------------Buchanan---

----------------David-----------------

 

Realistically though with being the 3rd game in a week, and this being a slightly under rotated squad, you'd probably need at least a couple of planned subs at around the 60th minute mark, and you'd hope to already be up a goal at least by then.

Laryea, Davies, Larin and Eustaquio in particular would all probably need a planned sub out by shortly after the hour mark.

Edited September 6, 2021 by A_Gagne

[El Hombre]

6 hours ago, A_Gagne said:

I think of the guys who haven't played yet only Piette has a realistic chance of starting. Cavallini could come on if we need a goal or to harass late in a game, and Fraser will only see the pitch if it's to defend a lead.

Especially if Kennedy is carrying a knock, we'll see Miller start.

I think Phonzie's "injury" is probably some Herdman 3D-chess and I'd expect him to start, but probably not go more than 70 min.

I think it could be possible to see Davies and Buchanan both line up on the left side looking to overlap and cut back to players like David, Larin, Laryea and possibly Atiba cutting back from the right.

 

------------------Borjan--------------

------Johnston---Vitoria---Miller-----

--Kaye/Laryea---Eustaquio---Davies--

----------------Hutch-----------------

---Larin------------------Buchanan---

----------------David-----------------

 

Realistically though with being the 3rd game in a week, and this being a slightly under rotated squad, you'd probably need at least a couple of planned subs at around the 60th minute mark, and you'd hope to already be up a goal at least by then.

Laryea, Davies, Larin and Eustaquio in particular would all probably need a planned sub out by shortly after the hour mark.

Thinking about this last night, I was thinking that it might be interesting to have Cavallini start with David tucked in just behind him.  Cavallini is a big body that could make space for David.  Then Buchanan on the left and whichever of Hoilett or Larin on the right.  Maybe let Davies rest until the 60th minute and have him run at a defense that Cavallini has been putting through the paces all night.

[canuckgbp]

El Salvador didn't rotate last night. Same lineups for last two games. They are a young team but will have tired legs. 

El Salvador are playing well and will be tough. They haven't been sitting back and they want possession. Think we have an opportunity to expose them. 

They have Zavaleta anchoring the back... and as we know he can be exposed. They don't have real quality on paper but they seem to be playing better then the sum of their parts as we saw in GC and WCQ so far. 

 

Edited September 6, 2021 by canuckgbp

[dyslexic nam]

I agree that this is massively important and I am definitely wanting the win, but this has been such a crazy window (given the other results) that even a draw doesn’t “eliminate” us in the way that we would have though 3 points would before this all started.   Don’t get me wrong - I would be disappointed with anything but a win.   But I honestly think we can get a draw and still be in this thing.  Having said that, I fully expect Herdman to go for it, and I think we get the 3 points to put us in good shape.  

[Sal333]

15 minutes ago, El Hombre said:

Thinking about this last night, I was thinking that it might be interesting to have Cavallini start with David tucked in just behind him.  Cavallini is a big body that could make space for David.  Then Buchanan on the left and whichever of Hoilett or Larin on the right.  Maybe let Davies rest until the 60th minute and have him run at a defense that Cavallini has been putting through the paces all night.

I was thinking the same thing,

[Floortom]

I still can’t wrap my head around Zavaleta being the best player on an Octagonal team 

[Sal333]

2 hours ago, dyslexic nam said:

I agree that this is massively important and I am definitely wanting the win, but this has been such a crazy window (given the other results) that even a draw doesn’t “eliminate” us in the way that we would have though 3 points would before this all started.   Don’t get me wrong - I would be disappointed with anything but a win.   But I honestly think we can get a draw and still be in this thing.  Having said that, I fully expect Herdman to go for it, and I think we get the 3 points to put us in good shape.  

Anything less than 3 points will be disappointing and an obstacle to qualifying. It's time this team moves to the next level. I'm tired of hearing Herdman say (as he did with Honduras and USA) we should have won the game. No shouldas. Just do it.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Sal333

[canuckgbp]

15 minutes ago, Sal333 said:

Anything less than 3 points will be disappointing and an obstacle to qualifying. It's time this team move to the next level. I'm tired of hearing Herdman say (as he did with Honduras and USA) we should have won the game. No shouldas. Just do it.

100%. It is a must win. If we can't beat El Salvador at home then I don't think we will qualify. We need to be ruthless in these home games. 

El Salvador isn't a deep team and they started the exact same lineup last two matches. Odds are if everyone is healthy they will trot out the same one. 

Herdman can't get cute. We were playing well during the USA game to start and then he tried a 4-4-2 high press and we almost got burned several times. Stick to what works, we have the quality. 

3 points. We can't settle for anything less especially after how the Honduras game went. 

Edited September 6, 2021 by canuckgbp

[dyslexic nam]

Just to be clear, I am not saying it isn’t important or that it would be a setback, I just mean that it might not be the unmitigated disaster we thought it would before this window.   The other results are really lining up nicely and out play against the US last night says to me that we can get a result damn near anywhere.  

[gator]

This match is still a must win although because of the way results have gone we will be hanging by a thread with a draw, you just can't drop home points and force yourself to have to get results in Central America! The match last night will be the least hostile setting we travel to, there will probably be a good contingent of ES fans at BMO as well but not like the thousands of fenced in rabid fans we will encounter there!

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

We tried to blow Honduras away and it didn't work.  Let's really play three in midfield control the game.  El Salvador are a good team and we will have to work but we don't have to rely on moments of brilliance to win.  A good team depth performance will do it in my opinion.   A 352 or 451/433 with three central midfielders is what we need, I think. 

 

I know it is a must win and I know it we can't underestimate El Salvador, but also, some people need some rest at some point if we want them back in decent shape for the later windows.

Eustaquio for one has played 14 games in the last 8 weeks, vast majority 90'.  The biggest break in the last year was between June 16th (WCQ Haiti game) and July 12th (Gold Cup).  If my math holds up.   He slated to play again on Saturday afternoon, and if plays against El Salvador, he will start at the equivalent of 1:30 am on Thursday. 

Wotherspoon has not played a lot lately and red card aside, has been praised as being in the form of his career by Scottish commentators. Give him a go in there with two others.

Lille play on Friday night, so we either go all in with him and he misses that, to play against Wolfsburg on Tuesday or he is out. 

Vitoria plays Sunday, and they have few other commitments so go with him.

Would really, really be nice to get big minutes out of Cavallini but whether you injure him again, if he is just able to come back, is the risk. 

So here is what I got, feel free to tell me it is not good enough but there would be a ton on the bench to change the game with 5 subs if needed. 

 

----------------------David-------------

---------------------Hoillett------------

Buchanan Wotherspoon Atiba Laryea 

---------------------Piette-------------

---------------Miller Vitoria Henry-----

---------------------Borjan------------

 

[trc2014]

Anyone watch the Honduras-ES game and can summarize how they played given we now have both played Honduras and got the same result?

[Corazon]

2 hours ago, canuckgbp said:

El Salvador didn't rotate last night. Same lineups for last two games. They are a young team but will have tired legs. 

El Salvador are playing well and will be tough. They haven't been sitting back and they want possession. Think we have an opportunity to expose them. 

They have Zavaleta anchoring the back... and as we know he can be exposed. They don't have real quality on paper but they seem to be playing better then the sum of their parts as we saw in GC and WCQ so far. 

 

Zavaleta did leave the Honduras game with an injury.  Several of my ES friends are concerned he won't play and surprisingly shocked how well he has done for their team since joining.  Could be a huge loss for them as well.  Even healthy, I've seen enough of Zavaleta at TFC to not to afraid.

[Greatest Cockney Rip Off]

Some music to set the mood.